Ice-cream firm fined £10,000 after worker's arm injury (From Gazette & Herald)

R&R Ice Cream Ltd at Leeming Bar fined £10,000 after worker's arm injury

3:52pm Monday 24th September 2012 in News

A NORTH Yorkshire ice-cream firm has been fined £10,000 after a factory worker’s forearm was broken when it was caught in a conveyor belt.

Sam Goodall, 20, from Northallerton, was working on the production line at R&R Ice Cream Ltd, at Leeming Bar, when his glove was caught in machinery. He managed to free himself, but suffered two broken bones in his right arm and a dislocated wrist, forcing him off work for six weeks.

The Health and Safety Executive prosecuted the firm following the incident last August, with R&R admitting two breaches of regulations. The company will also have to pay £3,294 in costs, with inspector Kate Dixon saying Mr Goodall had now made a full recovery.

She added: “R&R failed to make sure dangerous moving parts of the conveyor were not accessible by the workforce on the production line - this failure could have been addressed at minimal cost.

"They also failed to reassess the risk to workers after the change they made to the production line. Even temporary changes to machinery should be fully considered to make sure additional risks are identified and addressed.

"Unguarded or poorly-guarded machinery is the cause of many injuries in workplaces across the country. Employees should not be exposed to risks to their safety through their everyday work."